Thursday, 17th May 2012
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| Glut of fast food outlets in Ashburton |
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By Daniel Henderson February 8, 2012
And Mrs Morrow wonders why an industry that contributes to a public health crisis is required to meet very few regulatory conditions before entry into the market place. "They have to meet building standards and food safety regulations, but that's it. "There's no public consultation or opportunity to debate the merits, especially from a public health perspective." The ubiquitous presence of fast food outlets coupled with advertising and involvement in youth activities also made it difficult for those trying to limit their children's exposure to the industry Mrs Morrow said.  "They have these ingenious marketing people who are so good targeting children. "What I have a problem with, is fast food companies' sponsorship of sports, especially when the player of the day is given a voucher for a hamburger. "And it is a hard one for schools and sports teams, they need money, but I'd prefer it if a team was sponsored by a fruit and veg place." Approximately a quarter of New Zealanders are obese, according to a report released by the Ministry of Health in 2010 and the unbridled access to young people is adding to the issue. "The blame for our childhood obesity epidemic does not lie squarely with fast food outlets, but there is a strong correlation between access to these sorts of foods, how close they are to schools and that sort of thing," Mrs Morrow said. Although more fast food outlets will increase young people's access to questionable food choices, it's just another case of New Zealand catching up with world-wide trends according to Ashburton KFC franchisee Carol Haskett who doesn't feel her business is threatened by the two new guys on the block either. "New Zealand actually has less fast food outlets than comparable sized towns in Australia and the US. "It's just a case of us getting more in line with what's going on in the world. "It comes down to consumer demand from that 15 to 24 age group, they want more choice and they campaigned to get it here, Mrs Haskett who has operated the KFC for 20 years has seen them come and stay and it hasn't affected their bottom line. "What we've noticed it hasn't reduced how much of one brand they'll have, they'll just have more choice and consume different ones more often." Mrs Morrow thinks people's lack of knowledge in preparing food coupled with the convenience has contributed to the increase of fast food outlets in Ashburton. "There has been a loss of knowledge around preparing food. "People think it's easy and convenient to take the fast food option, but it's not so convenient in the long run when the effect of consuming so much is diabetes or cardiac problems," she said. Until such time communities exercise their rights to protest the proliferation of fast food outlets in their town as public health issue, they or their families can exercise restraint in regard to how much of this type of food they consume, Mrs Morrow said. "It's about being educated and making healthy food choices. "If (fast food) it's only every now and then, that's alright. "It's the frequent use that will cause problems."
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